Charles: My 40-year war against plastic

PRINCE Charles has spoken of his frustration at the years to convince the world of the dangers of climate change and plastic pollution.

He has spent decades issuing dire environmental warnings but has often been dismissed as a crank.

“Over 40 years ago I remember making a speech about the problems of plastic and other waste.

“But at that stage nobody was really interested,” he said in a Vanity Fair magazine interview, out tomorrow.

“If we don’t engage with these issues… we will all be victims. Nobody escapes.”

Charles went on: “In putting my head above the parapet

I found myself in conflict with the conventional outlook which is not exactly the most pleasant situation to find yourself.” He and the Duchess of Cornwall arrived last night in The Gambia, an ex-British colony where droughts have been

ROYAL TOUR Charles & Camilla blamed by the UN on climate change and deforestation.

The royal visit – the first stop on a nine-day tour of West Africa – follows The Gambia’s return to the Commonwealth earlier this year.

Charles and Camilla, 71, were greeted by President Adama Barrow, 53, when they landed in Banjul.

The royal couple were welcomed to the capital by a military band and dancers in traditional costumes, including one dressed up as a gorilla.

On a red carpet snaking for 400 yards around the tarmac they shook hands with more than 200 government officials, tribal leaders and other dignitaries.

Charles was interviewed for Vanity Fair magazine to mark his upcoming 70th birthday on November 14.